TOPEKA – Kansas has reached its highest employment in state history, Gov. Laura Kelly said on Wednesday. According to data from the Kansas Department of Labor, employment was at an all-time high in 2023, with nine of the top 10 employment months taking place throughout the year. The 10th top employment month was in 2022. 

Kansas currently has a labor force of just more than 1.5 million Kansans, with more than 1.4 million participating in the workforce. Kansas’ labor force participation rate is many points higher than the national average.  

“Hard-working Kansans have been the force behind our strong economic growth as a state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Now, we must continue to recruit more people to move here and more Kansans to join the workforce in order to keep up with the great job opportunities being created across the state.” 

The state’s success in growing the workforce is helpful as demand for qualified employees continues to be high.  

According to data from the Kansas Department of Labor, the Kansas unemployment rate has been at or below 5%, which many economists consider full employment, for the past 38 consecutive months.  

For more information on Kansas’ labor force and unemployment data go to klic.dol.ks.gov.